I Shoud've Been a Cowboy
by MaverickLover2
Summary: Bart gets a terse telegram from Beau, telling him that Benny I headed for the ranch. When the young man arrives, he tells a strange tale about his mother and father in Baton Rouge.
1. Imminent Arrival

I Should've Been a Cowboy

Chapter 1 – Imminent Arrival

I hadn't heard from Cousin Beau or anyone in his family for a while, but that didn't surprise me. They would be busy with graduation plans, just like we were, plus they had a brand new baby boy to contend with. If I thought it was hard enough dealing with a five-year-old at my age, I couldn't imagine handling a newborn.

I guess I should give you a who's who in the family. My Pa is the oldest living Maverick, and we all call him Pappy but his given name is Beauregard. He has a younger brother, Bentley, and they both live on the property known as the B Bar M Ranch. Pappy is married to Maude, his second wife, and Bentley's wife is Elsbeth, known as Ellie, also his second wife. Me and my brother Bret are the product of Pappy's first marriage to Isabelle, who died when we were small. Likewise, Cousin Beau's mother Abigail also died when he was young.

Bret and me live on the ranch grounds proper, him with his wife Ginny and their three kids. My wife is Doralice, and we have six of them little devils. Beau is married to Dani and they live in Baton Rouge with their three babies. I shouldn't say babies. Their two oldest are about to get pushed out of college, my two oldest are leaving regular school. Theirs are twins, a boy and a girl, and ours are two girls. Beau and Dani had lost a child since we saw them last , but they'd finally had a healthy baby boy about six months ago. We'd had a tumultuous prior year; Belle had gone through the pangs of first love, and it ended badly.

Oh, and we have a friend and employee who lives on the grounds; we sold him a piece of property and then built him a house on it – his name is Dandy Jim Buckley. Well, that's pretty much it, except for Lucien, our ranch foreman, and Pauly, who is . . . just Pauly. And Lily Mae, our babysitter, housekeeper, cook and all-around savior.

That's about all, except for the ranch hands. And they change regularly. So I was surprised when I got a short telegram from Cousin Beau. All it said was '_Benny's on the way to the ranch.' _I went over to Ben and Ellie's house for two reasons . . . first off Ellie makes the best coffee on the property (don't tell anybody I said that) and Ben might know more about what seemed to be Benny's imminent arrival.

Of course Ellie asked me if I wanted some coffee and I just had to say yes, so I sat down and she poured me a cup. I showed Ben the telegram and he kinda went 'pfft.' "You got more information than I do, Bart."

"You don't know anything else, Uncle Ben?"

"Not a thing. I imagine we ain't gonna find out until he gets here. Wonder how he's comin'?"

"Well, since Beau bought him a horse I assume he's riding. That means he could be here anytime."

"I guess we just gotta wait. Ellie, pour the boy another cup of coffee. You know he wants it."

Ellie grinned at me and poured. "Thank you, ma'am," I told her as I brought the cup to my lips. "God, Ellie, that's good. How do you do it?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I just make it to please Ben."

"Don't ever tell Doralice I like your coffee better. She'd skin me alive."

"She knows."

"Oh, God."

"Don't worry, Bart. We laugh about it."

"With that, I better go. She'll still have my head."

I walked back to the house and showed Doralice the telegram. "Does Ben have any more information? And how's Ellie?"

"Her coffee's as good as ever. And Ben doesn't know anything more than we do."

"Good to know."

"Have Lily Mae make up the spare room just in case. He could be here any time, and we don't know if he's comin' to stay here or at Ben's."

Doralice thought for a minute. "Our girls haven't finished their school year yet. Do you suppose Benny's done already?"

"I hope so. I'd hate to think he quit before he was through. Especially since Beau almost had to talk him in to college. But you know how us Maverick's are. We get an idea in our head and we ain't willin' to wait."

She sashayed into my arms and kissed me. "Yeah, but that's one of the things I love about you. When you wanna do somethin', you don't wait. But I'd hate to think he could this close to bein' finished with school and quit."

"Does it really make a difference if he finishes now or in a week or two? Would that make him any less educated? You know school ain't nothin' but waitin' the last few weeks anyway. Tell me anything you learned in the last weeks in school," I challenged her.

"I can't, gamblin' man, and you know it. I was in Mexico with Medina."

"Yeah, and where did that get ya?"

"It got me you, didn't it? And least it got me you eventually."

"Smart-aleck." We kissed again until we were interrupted by Lily Mae.

"Haven't you two stopped doin' that yet? That's how you got six young un's."

"Lily Mae, you oughta know by now that we're not gonna stop. Is there somethin' you need?'

"Just wanted to let you know that the spare room is made up. If Mr. Benny turns up we've got a bed for him."

Life went on as we waited to see if Benny showed up. Maudie and Belle 'graduated' from school and received their certificate of education. We had a big party for them; we held it outside and roasted a pig. Everybody brought a dish to go with the pig, and we were right in the middle of the celebration when we saw somebody riding down the road. Couldn't tell who it was at first, but whoever it was was mighty dusty. He was tall and lanky and when he got close enough I recognized him as a Maverick. It had to be Benny; there wasn't anybody else that age that was expected.

It looked like we were about to get some answers.


	2. Shake off the Dust

Chapter 2 – Shake Off the Dust

It had been almost five years since we'd seen Benny and he was still a lanky boy then, but it was a man that got down off that horse. A tall man. Add the stubble on his face and the weariness in his eyes and I wasn't surprised I was the only one that recognized him. I stuck out my hand and said, "Glad to see you finally made it. Good timing." He shook, and we both laughed. "You hungry?"

"Starved, Uncle Bart. I haven't eaten since yesterday."

We walked over to get him a plate and some food to put on it as I asked, "Why haven't you eaten since yesterday?"

"I'm embarrassed to tell you. My money ran out."

"Didn't your father give you any money before you left Baton Rouge?"

"No."

"And why not?" I was determined to have a word with Beau about that.

"Because he didn't want me to come."

"I suppose there's a long story behind that?"

"Long and winding. Can it wait until after I eat?"

"Yes, and it can wait until you've had a bath and clean clothes, too."

"Thanks, Uncle Bart. I promise to tell you the whole story. Say, is Grandpa here?"

"You mean Ben? He's here somewhere with Ellie."

"How are they doin'? I miss him."

"They're doin' great. Ellie's teaching school and Ben comes down to the barn and rides with Maudie and me almost every day."

Benny's eyes got bright. "Where is Maudie, anyway?"

I pointed over by the pig, still bein' roasted on the spit. "See the blonde over there with the ponytail?"

"Oh my God. That beautiful creature is Maudie?"

"Yep. And there's another one runnin' around here that looks just like her. I take all the credit for how gorgeous they are."

"Bart Maverick, don't you be lyin' to this boy . . . uh, man. Sorry, Benny, you went and got all grown-up on us." Doralice gave him a hug. "Don't you believe a thing this man tells you."

"I know better than that, Aunt Doralice." He wiped his mouth and kissed her cheek.

"We've got a room all made up for you, but you gotta get some of that dust off you first."

"If there's enough hot water, I'd like to wash it off."

Doralice smiled. "I'll make enough hot water. Let's get you over to the house. Bart can let everyone know you're here. And please just call me Doralice, Benny. That's enough of a mouthful as it is."

"Yes, ma'am." They set out for the house, with Benny still eating. Just then I caught sight of Lily Mae.

"Miss Lily, that dust ball that rode in was Benny, and you'll be happy to know that Doralice is gonna get him set with a bath. That way he won't ruin your clean sheets."

"My goodness. The lad got really tall, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. I gotta find Ben and tell him his grandson is here and safe."

We had so many people at the party that it took me a few minutes to find Ben. He was on the edge of the yard, talkin' to Pappy. "You both'll be glad to know that the man who rode up the road to the ranch was Benny."

"Our Benny?" Ben asked.

"Who else, Brother Bent? You got a Benny we don't know about?"

"Pappy, behave. He's gonna wash some of that dirt off of him and he'll be back. He's already asked about you, Uncle Ben."

Bentley smiled, knowing that Benny had asked about him. "Maybe once he feels settled he can give us some answers."

"He's already promised to tell us the story once he's clean," I informed them. Now if Pappy would just behave . . . but I should know better than that by now.

"Don't you know what's goin' on with your own grandson?"

"No, I don't, Beauregard. Do you know what's goin' on with all your grandchildren?"

It was time for me to step in between them. They loved each other, but they'd always bickered like two old women. "Boys, boys, boys, this isn't the time or place to quarrel with each other. This is a celebratory party. So for the sake of all your grandchildren, behave like the role models you're supposed to be rather than the children you are." I'm glad that, for the most part, Bret and me don't act like that anymore.

"All right, nephew, for your sake I'll be good."

I was waiting to hear from Pappy when Ellie walked up. "Are they driving you crazy yet?" she asked.

"Close," I answered. "How do you and Maude stand 'em?"

She burst out laughing. "We don't pay any attention to them."

"Kind of like Doralice does me?"

She laughed again. "Exactly. Are you two givin' Bart a bad time?"

"Us? No."

"Don't lie to the lady, Bentley."

"Lie to her? Just remember that's my wife, you old goat."

Ellie hooked her arm through mine. "Let's get out of here and see what Benny has to say for himself."

"Miss Ellie, I think that's a fine idea."

And we headed for the house and hopefully, an explanation.

1


	3. Blackmail to the Nth Degree

Chapter 3 – Blackmail to the Nth Degree

Me and Ellie went into the house, where Doralice and Benny were sittin' in the kitchen drinkin' coffee. With all the dust off, the young man looked more like the Benny we knew and less like a stranger. "Uh, oh, here comes the inquisitors. Guess I better get used to answering questions."

"We're not here to make you crazy," Ellie told him as she sat down. "We're just concerned for your welfare. And your father didn't tell us anything except that you were coming."

"I'm surprised he told you that," Benny answered. "We weren't exactly speaking when I left."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, it all started when I got a notice in the mail that I was eligible to pursue a master's degree in business. Father was all excited . . . he wanted me to register for the master's degree; I said no emphatically. I was fed up with learning, I'd never wanted to go to college at all, and I certainly didn't want any more schooling. He insisted, and when his persuasion didn't work, he enlisted mother. That was too much for me – the only reason I'd gone to college at all was that Pa promised if I went he'd give me money to come back out here. I'm not a businessman; I want to work on a ranch, preferably this one, and Pa didn't have a problem with that. It seemed like a fair trade . . . four years of college for the rest of my life.

"He started pressuring me, told me he didn't want me to be a 'cowboy.' He's changed so much you wouldn't know him, Uncle Bart. I think when they lost the baby it broke him . . . and then there was mother. She blackmailed him, he'd wanted another baby so badly and she told him she'd get pregnant again if he'd sell The Gilded Lady. It didn't take him any time to agree, and the saloon was gone. After he'd spent so much time on it! After Joseph was born, it was almost like I didn't exist anymore. Even Abby felt like he didn't care about her, and she was the good child. So two weeks ago I quit school and started working for a local farmer, trying to save enough money to come out here. But the atmosphere at home got so toxic that I had to leave, whether I had enough or not. That's why I ran out of money."

I couldn't believe the things I was hearing, and I sat there shakin' my head. What had happened to Beau? And what was Ben going to want to do about it? As far as I was concerned, Benny had a job here if that's what he wanted. When he was here before he worked hard and got along with everybody, and I'm sure he would do fine working under Lucien. I knew he wanted to learn the business; the only one that wanted it more was Maudie, and she certainly got along with Benny. But I had to ask myself, was Benny telling the absolute truth? Or was there something' goin' on that we didn't know about? I would try to keep my doubts to myself and see how it all worked out.

"Listen, everyone, I'll be glad to answer questions, as long as we can do it tomorrow. I'm exhausted right now, and that bed is sounding awfully good."

"Sure, Benny, no problem. The guest rooms in the same place. Sleep as long as you'd like, we ain't goin' nowhere. I'll explain to everyone where our dusty cowboy went."

"Give me a day or two, Uncle Bart, and I'll be ready to work, long as you've got a spot for me."

"Take your time, Benny. I'm gonna have you get started with Lucien, he's our ranch foreman. You two will like each other. Take a couple days to visit with Maudie and everybody else, including your grandpa. And we can get started on Monday."

"Thanks. I want to spend some time with Grandpa and Miss Ellie. And Uncle Beauregard. And if I can persuade Maude to show me around the ranch again . . . "

"I'm sure you can. She likes nothing better than riding around the ranch."

Benny stood up and yawned. "Well, goodnight everybody."

"Goodnight."

"'Night."

"Sleep well."

I waited until I heard the door to the guest room close and then I turned to Ellie. "What are you gonna tell your husband, Ellie?"

Ellie had almost as good a poker face as Pappy. "I don't think I'm gonna tell him anything, Bart. I think I'll let Benny tell his grandpa himself."

"Do you believe him?"

"He' got no reason to lie. And Beau's letters have gotten . . . odd, ever since Joseph was born."

"Odd, how?" Doralice asked.

"Like Dani was dictating what to write. It didn't sound like Beau anymore."

"Maybe she was. Dictating, I mean."

Ellie stood up. "I'm going back to the house. Benny's not the only one that's tired. Great party, Bart. Those are two fine girls you and Doralice have."

"Thank you, Ellie," Doralice replied.

"Come on, Ellie, I'll walk you out to Uncle Ben. If he's still alive, that is."

We found Ben sitting with Maudie and Belle, and he looked like he was ready for bed, too. "Did you get a story out of Benny?"

"We did," Ellie told him. "But I'm going to let him tell you, tomorrow."

"That good, huh?"

"It's certainly feasible. You can make up your own mind."

"Old woman, I'm about worn out. What do you say we go home and make passionate love?"

"Too much information, Uncle Ben. Take Miss Ellie home."

"Yes, nephew. Your wish . . . "

"Yes, yes, Ben, let's go home." And I watched as the two of them headed for their house. So the mystery remained. What was the truth about Benny coming to Texas?

1


	4. The Nail, the Head and the Hammer

Chapter 4 – The Nail, the Head and the Hammer

Benny slept until almost noon the next day. Me and Bret talked about how long ago it was that we slept out on the trail – it must have been when Dandy and the two of us came back from Mexico. Of course, we had a herd of horses to drive back to Little Bend.

Doralice had joined me for lunch out in the kitchen before he emerged from the guest room, sleepy-eyed and yawning. Lily Mae was busy with the stew she was cooking for supper, but as soon as she saw Benny, she set a cup in front of him. "Tea or coffee?"

"Coffee, thanks, Lily Mae."

"Breakfast or lunch?"

"Breakfast, with lots of bacon, if you have it."

I had to laugh. Yep, this was a Maverick, alright. He had the appetite.

Doralice knew just what I was laughin' about. "Eats like your brother, doesn't he?"

"And his father. Sorry, Benny."

"It's alright, Uncle Bart. He's still my dad. And I still love him."

"Bart, Benny. We don't need the Uncle around here."

"That's good to hear."

"I got a question to ask if it's alright."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Did you sit down and try to talk to him about his change in attitude towards you and Abby?"

"I did, several times. We never got anywhere, because no matter what I reminded him of, he insisted I was wrong. I even had Abby sit down with us. It didn't do any good. That's when I knew I had to leave. Does that answer your question?"

"Unfortunately. I have the feelin' your grandpa is gonna wanna talk to him, and that's gonna involve a trip back there."

"I hate to see Grandpa go all the way to Baton Rouge, but if that's what he has to do, I wish him well. He' s going to run into the same thing I ran into. Denial."

"Did you talk to Ben this mornin,' Bart?" Doralice asked me.

"I did. He's already fixin' to buy a stagecoach ticket. He wants to get to the bottom of this."

"Is Miss Ellie going with him?"

"Looks that way. Since school's out for the summer she's got plenty of time, and she figures if he gets upset she can calm him down."

"Bart, Pa's gonna drive Grandpa crazy. If mama doesn't do it first."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Benny. If Pappy hasn't driven him crazy after all these years, I don't think Beau's gonna do it."

Lily Mae put the biggest plate of food in front of Benny that I'd ever seen. "Are you gonna want seconds, Mr. Benny?" she asked.

"I don't think so, Lily Mae. But thank you for asking me. I will take some more coffee."

Just then Maudie came in the back door, fresh from working with Dandy Jim and Spreckles. Jim had made quite a difference with that horse, and Maudie was really pleased. "Benny!" she cried, and practically jumped into his arms.

He picked up a piece of bacon and put it in her mouth. "Here, eat this so I can finish breakfast," he told her.

"Benny!" she cried again after pulling the bacon out. "Finish your food. I can wait to hug you."

He pushed his plate aside and hugged her. "You little scamp. Where were you last night when I got here?"

"Belle and me went down to the river and jumped in. We've been promisin' to do that since we were little. Then we had to come back to the house and change clothes. We must have just missed you. Are you just now gettin' up?"

"I am. Last night was the first decent night's sleep I've had in more than a week."

"Want to go for a ride when you're done with breakfast?"

"You bet. Who's out there for me to ride?"

"Didn't you ride in on your own horse?"

"Yes, but he's plum worn out."

Maudie paused for a moment. "You can ride Zanzibar, I suppose."

"Isn't he your horse?" Benny was trying to talk to Maudie and eat at the same time.

I reached over and grabbed his arm. "Slow down, son, or you'll get indigestion."

"No, I ride Spreckles now. He's all grown up, just like me."

Benny looked confused. "Wasn't he a wild little thing?"

"That was before Uncle Jim got his hands on Spreckles. Now he's the sweetest little gentleman."

"Spreckles or Jim?"

Maudie and me both burst out laughing. "Both," was her reply.

"Don't let Jim hear you say that."

Of course Jim came in the back door with Belle. "Don't let me hear you say what? This must be Benny. My goodness, old boy, you are a tall one, aren't you?"

"Lily Mae, could you fix Uncle Jim some lunch, please? Our training session ran long and I promised him something to eat."

I was surprised to hear that Belle was workin' with Jim. She hadn't shown much interest in riding before now. "When did you decide to ride again?" I asked her.

"When I didn't have to go to school anymore. I've got the whole summer to learn how to handle a horse, and Jim's the best teacher. Hi, Benny. When did you get here?"

Maudie answered for the poor boy, who was still tryin' to finish his food. "Last night when we were in the river."

"Then that must have been you a saw ride in. You look considerably cleaner than you did then," Belle remarked."

"Mister Jim, I've got leftovers from last night. Will that do for lunch?" Lily Mae asked Buckley.

"Anything will do, Miss Lily. I'm famished."

Doralice looked at me. "This room is gettin' too crowded. Let's go outside on the porch."

I took her hand and we went out on the back porch. I hadn't been on the front porch since . . . well, since the Travis Cole incident. I might never go out there again. "The kitchen sure filled up fast. Did you really talk to Uncle Ben this morning?"

"Yes, ma'am, I did. I found him putterin' around in the barn, lookin' at the latest batch of puppies that Miss Betty Lou the fourth had. He wants to hear what happened from Benny himself, then he'll decide what he's gonna do. And if he goes to Baton Rouge, Miss Ellie is goin' with him. He could raise quite a ruckus in Baton Rouge."

"I hope he does. Somethin's not right, there."

My darling wife had hit the nail on the head.

1


	5. Rich

Chapter 5 – Rich

While Benny and Maudie went for a ride, I walked down to Bret's and told him what was goin' on. Then I went to the barn to spend some time with the new crop of foals. When the kids came back and had unsaddled and groomed their mounts, Benny and me walked back to Ben's house. Ellie answered the door. "What good timing, you two. Ben just woke up from a nap, and I've got some sweet tea for everybody. Come in, please."

We went into the little kitchen and sat down at the table with Ben, while Ellie poured tea. Benny then proceeded to tell his grandpa the story he'd told us last night. Ben sat quietly and paid attention to him, taking small sips of tea while he listened. He'd interrupt now and then to ask a question, but for the most part he was still. When Benny finished, Ben had some concerns to express.

"Is Joseph bein' smothered with attention?"

"Just about, Grandpa. Somebody's with him almost every minute. And if they're not, they come running as soon as he makes a sound. Abby offered to take care of him so that Mama and Pa could go out together, just the two of them, and they refused. It's like he's made of gold."

"And how does your mother treat Beau?"

"Better than she used to, but he might as well be one of the maids."

"Maids?"

"Oh yeah, didn't I mention the maids? She's got three. One is the parlor maid, one is the kitchen maid, and the third one takes care of the housework."

"And I suppose Beau is payin' for all three?"

"Well sure, how would mama pay for any of them? She doesn't work."

I had the feelin' that Ben was going to explain how she could pay for them. I didn't have long to wait. "When Dani's parents died, they left her a small fortune."

It was apparent that Benny didn't know about the inheritance. "Really, Grandpa? Are you sure you're not exaggerating?"

"Son, it was over a quarter of a million dollars."

That even made me gasp. I had no idea it was so much.

"A-a-a quarter . . . over two hundred fifty thousand dollars? Are you sure, Grandpa?"

"Positive, Benny. They made me the executor of the estate. Your Grandpa Joe didn't trust lawyers."

"Then why does she make Pa pay for everything?"

"Probably some kind of penance for defying her and buyin' a saloon," I told the young man.

"Bart's right. She's gettin' even with him for having bought The Gilded Lady to begin with. Did she tell you about your inheritance? I can tell from the look on your face she didn't."

"My inheritance? Does Abby get one, too?"

"Yes sir. Joe know you wanted to come back to the ranch, but he didn't want you to be spoiled. So he only left you five hundred dollars, to be paid when you turned twenty-one. He left Abby one thousand dollars since she wouldn't be working and making a living. The funds were to be paid to both of you out of your mother's money. No doubt that's why she didn't tell you about it."

"I had no idea." Benny looked like somebody had just hit him. "Are you going back there, Grandpa?"

"You bet your bottom dollar I am. That woman is out of control, and I need to find out why."

"Do you want more tea, darling?" Miss Ellie asked.

"What? Oh yeah, more tea, please. Ellie, start packin.' We're leavin' the day after tomorrow."

"Do you want me to go into town and buy the tickets?" I asked Ben.

"Would you? And find out what time the stage leaves. It's time for a face to face talk with my son and his wife."

On the way back to the house, Benny and me talked about his grandpa's trip. "If you wanna go with him, I'll pay for your ticket," I told him.

"Thanks, Bart, but I'm not going back there, not for any amount of money. I got out, and I intend to stay that way. Besides, I start work for you on Monday. I've waited a long time for this job, and I'm not going to miss it."

"You'd still have a job when you came back, Benny."

"I appreciate that, but unless something changes back in Baton Rouge, I'm not going back."

The next day I rode into Little Bend and went to the Wells Fargo office to buy tickets fot Ben and Ellie. The stage left at ten in the morning, so at least they didn't have to be in town much before nine-thirty. That meant we didn't have to leave much before nine. I say 'we' because Doralice and Benny had already told me they were goin' with us. I let Lucien know that Benny would be down to see him as soon as we got back. He wanted to start Benny off with the cross-breed yearlings because they weren't as volatile as the foals and hadn't learned all the bad habits of the older horses. I thought it was a good choice, but I made it clear to Lucien that Benny was to get no special treatment.

Monday dawned bright and clear and, of course, Ben and Ellie were ready before eight o'clock, so we all sat in our kitchen and discussed the situation they were facing. Ellie was a sweetheart and made the coffee, and we all had a good laugh at my expense. I wonder what she could do with the Black Carada coffee that Anderson Garrett used to import?

"Bart, take good care of my grandson, would you? It sounds like he had a rough go with his mother and father."

"I will, Ben. I'm sure he's gonna be fine, I have great faith in Lucien as a trainer. Benny'll probably be runnin' the place by the time you get back."

"I doubt that, but I'm going to do my best to learn everything that gets done at the B Bar M. I need to if I'm going to have my own ranch someday."

"You just work hard, son, and I'm sure you'll do fine."

I went out to get the big buggy ready, and Benny came with me to help harness the horses. "Gosh, I sure hope grandpa is gonna be alright. Miss Ellie will take care of him, won't she?"

"Of course she will. And don't worry about your grandfather. If he can hold his own with Pappy for almost eighty years, he can certainly handle your mother and father."

"Still, I wish they were coming back instead of leaving. I'd feel a whole lot better."

Just then Ben entered the barn. "You boys need any help?" he asked.

"No, sir," I told him. "We're doin' just fine. Go say goodbye to Miss Betty Lou the fourth's puppies. They'll be almost grown by the time you get back."

"And I'm sure that peculiar brother of mine will have found Miss Betty Lou the fifth. Honestly, couldn't he find a different name?"

"You know Pappy. When he finds somethin' he likes he tends to stick with it. Okay, Ben, we're all set. You wanna get in here or at the house?"

"I'll walk back to the house with you. Ellie says I need to get out more."

"She just worries about you, Ben."

"Hmpf." He wasn't about to say any more; Ellie might hear him.

"Are we all ready?" I asked

"Yes."

"Yes, sir."

"Get in, blue-eyes."

"Yes, sir, gamblin' man."

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	6. Logistics

Chapter 6 – Logistics

Even though we were all in a hurry to learn what Ben and Ellie discovered in Baton Rouge, life went on in Little Bend. Benny began working for Lucien and, according to the reports that I got, was doing well. He was bright and ambitious, wanting to learn everything he could. Belle began preparing for college, and Maudie spent most of her time with the cross-breeds she'd developed. When she wasn't working on the ranch, she was out riding with Benny. The two of them had what seemed to be an unshakable friendship.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family got into the usual amount of cuts and scrapes. Beauregard broke his arm when he fell out of the hayloft. Don't ask me what he was doing up there; probably chasing a kitten or a puppy. Breton cut his leg on a branch in the river, but it was minor and didn't require a visit to Simon. Lily started taking care of Tim the way Breton had mothered her, and it was sweet to see her looking out for him.

Tim, of course, wanted a pony. Lily Beth had one, and he didn't see why he couldn't, too. Quite frankly, I couldn't either. I explained to him all the things he had to learn, and how to take care of a pony, and he listened attentively. It reminded me of the time I taught Matt Clennon to ride, all those years ago. Matt was grown and married now, to a darling little girl named Belinda, and he'd written to me recently and told me they were expecting their first child. If it was a boy they were going to name him Taylor Bart Clennon, and if it was a girl her name would be Mary. I wrote back and told him I was honored.

But I digress. Tim wanted a pony and I agreed with him, it was time. One day I took him over to Claytonville in the buggy, to a ranch that had ponies for sale, and he picked out a grey one and named him Sam. We tied Sam to the back of the buggy and had a wonderful drive back home. Tim was so excited; he couldn't wait to get his pony back to the barn and get his first lesson in grooming. It was a day I'll never forget.

Of course, he wanted to ride Sam right away, and I reminded him he had a lot of things to learn before he could ride. Even though he was too small to saddle Sam, I drilled him endlessly on the parts of the tack and what they did. Then I made sure he knew where each of those parts were on the equipment itself. When I was certain he knew what he should about the saddle and bridle, I got Sam ready for their first ride. I helped Tim get mounted, and then we walked around the corral for about thirty minutes. Tim was smilin' so big the whole time, I couldn't help but smile with him. I'd missed teaching these things to Beauregard and Breton; I was tryin' to make a living to support our ever-growing family. Bret had helped out a lot, and Slim filled in the gaps. So this event was especially important to me.

Tim wanted my assurance that we would do this every day, and I had to make sure that I left time for it. Jim volunteered to help on those days when I was really busy with somethin,' but Tim was more important than anything else, and I wanted to do it myself. This was my last chance to teach my own son to ride, and I wanted to do for him what I'd done for Matt. I shouldn't get ahead of myself, but by the end of the summer Tim could do everything but get on Sam by himself.

Meanwhile, the time that Ben and Ellie had been gone stretched from one week to two, and then to three. Finally, at the end of a month I got a telegram saying "Arriving Little Bend on Friday. Bringing home a surprise."

The stage was due in at three o'clock and Doralice and me decided to go into town early and do some shopping. Tim had been using the saddle that Lily Beth outgrew, and I thought he deserved a new one. Besides, Doralice was always happy to go to the Emporium and see what they had. When we left we had a saddle, a pair of pants and a shirt for each one of the boys, and a dress for Lily Beth. We also brought three bolts of fabric that we thought Belle and Maudie would like since they'd learned to sew from their mother and made their own clothes now. Fortunately, when Benny joined us in town with his Uncle Beauregard, he brought the wagon. Of course, Pappy praised Benny for his ability to miss all the potholes I usually hit.

We transferred our purchases to the wagon so we could cart most everybody back in the buggy. I suspected I knew what the surprise was, but I was willing to wait and see if I was right. Of course, the stagecoach was late, and it was closer to four o'clock than three when they arrived. A man and a woman that I didn't know departed first, followed by Ben, who helped Ellie out. There were two people left in the coach, but it was too dark in there to see them. And then the man stepped out . . . Cousin Beau. I have to admit, he looked terrible, thin and haggard, with dark circles under his eyes. But he was smiling, which was somethin' I didn't expect to see. And then the real surprise. Beau took something from the other passenger and passed it over to Ben, then he reached in and helped his daughter out. Abby forced a smile until she saw Benny, and then her smile became real.

By now Ellie had the bundle, and it became a he when he let out a squeal. Very quickly we were introduced to Joseph Bentley Maverick, and Abby took him from Ellie and rocked him until he quieted down. "You weren't kidding when you promised a surprise," I heard Pappy tell his brother.

"I thought we needed more Maverick's on the ranch," Ben answered.

"Is this a visit or are you here to stay?" I asked Beau.

"We're here to stay, if you'll have us."

My next question was to his son. "Benny?"

"Yes. Oh yes, Pa."

"You've got your answer, Beau. We'll get to workin' on a house for you right away. Down by Brother Bret's house, I think."

Beau and Abby were making the rounds, huggin' and kissin.' I turned to Benny. "Let's get this group home, shall we?"

"Yes, sir. Right away." He began to load the luggage into the wagon, as I ushered everyone that would fit into the buggy.

"How'd you manage this?" I asked Ben.

"It didn't take much persuasion."

"What took you so long to come back?"

"We had to work out the logistics."

"What does that mean?" I persisted.

"I'll explain it later. At least Beau's home."

"He looks awful, Ben," I told my uncle.

"We'll fix that, Bart. For now, let's put Beau and Joseph at our house. If it's alright with you and the girls, Abby can stay with Maudie and Belle."

"I can't imagine that they'd object."

"I'm so relieved to be home."

"I had an idea what your surprise was gonna be, but I sure didn't expect all three of 'em. How'd you manage it?"

"A lot of hard negotiating, son. That woman is tough as nails."

"Dani?"

"Yep. Who else?"

This was going to be an interesting summer, to say the least.

1


	7. Joseph and the Technicolor Negotiations

Chapter 7 – Joseph and the Technicolor Negotiations

We got everybody home in one piece and helped Beau and Joseph to Ben's house. Then we took Abby to our house and asked Maudie and Belle if she could stay with them until we could get their place built.

"Sure," Maudie answered.

"Of course," came Belle's reply. Then all three girls squealed.

I sent Benny to Pauly's house to retrieve our resident inventor. When Pauly appeared he took one look at me and asked, "We need another house, Mr. Maverick?"

"Pauly, I told you, it's Bart. And yes, we need another house. Down by Bret's, and we want three bedrooms and a nursery. All three good size, please."

"We got another Maverick?"

"We do. Ben's son Beau and his three children."

"I don't mean to be nosy, but I thought Beau lived in Baton Rouge," Pauly sort of asked me.

"He used to, but he's back to stay. I thought Bret would appreciate havin' Beau down there. The two of them were really close when we were kids."

"I'll get on it right away," Pauly promised and left the house humming.

"When everyone has a chance to get settled I'll go to Ben's and see what I can find out," I told Doralice.

"I'm dyin' to know," Doralice responded.

Actually, it was gonna take longer than that because Beau was exhausted and begged for our understanding. The way he looked I had to agree. Tomorrow was soon enough.

XXXXXXXX

The next morning I went and got Bret and took him with me to Ben's house. Beau wasn't up yet but Joseph took care of that shortly when he began crying. Ellie tried to get to the baby before he woke his father but she was unsuccessful. Instead, she started warming milk and Beau emerged from the bedroom, looking better than last night. Most of the dark circles under his eyes were gone, but I heard Bret gasp when he saw how thin Beau was. They embraced after Beau handed the baby to Ben. "My God man, you need to gain some weight. Miss Ellie, fix this boy breakfast, would you?"

"Ellie, I just want . . . "

"Don't tell me you just want coffee, Beau. We're not in Baton Rouge anymore and you're going to eat some food. But I will give you all some coffee in the meantime."

We sat around the table while grandpa fed the baby and we drank coffee. Beau shook his head. "I can't believe you got me out of there, Pa. I thought I was gonna die there."

"I could've gotten you out sooner if you hadn't wanted to bring this little feller with us."

Beau looked startled. "How could I leave him? To grow up with a mother that's mentally deranged? Nobody deserves that."

"Now son, you don't know for sure . . ."

We all looked at Beau as he nodded his head. "Oh yes I do. That woman is not the woman I married twenty some odd years ago. She was sweet and kind and passionate. Now she's as cold as ice and looney to boot. Why if I hadn't . . ."

I interrupted. "Beau, just tell us what happened."

Before he could get started, Pappy walked in. There was no such thing as knocking on the door to Pappy. He figured he was responsible for all of us, so he had a right to go wherever he wanted to. "Go ahead, boy, tell us your story."

"You know how happy we were that we were gonna have another baby, Pa. But things started to go wrong from almost the first week after Dani found out she was with child, and about two months later she lost the baby. We had made love the night before it happened, and she blamed me. The doctor insisted that had nothin' to do with it, but she wouldn't listen. We were both grievin,' but you'd never know it from the way she carried on. She turned a cold shoulder to me, physically and emotionally, and I just couldn't stand it. I broke down. I'm ashamed to say I took comfort with Emma Swanson, one of the girls that worked at the saloon. She was understanding, and kind and patient, all the things I wasn't gettin' from Dani. My wife acted like nothin' had happened.

"It was a long time before she showed any interest in me at all. Almost three years, and that whole time I had nobody but the kids and Emma. Finally, Dani came to me and offered me a deal . . . she'd have another baby if I'd sell the saloon. There were other promises made; she'd stay home more, and invest more in us as a family, and be more loving towards me, and all I had to do was get rid of The Gilded Lady. So that's what I did, and in due time she told me she was gonna have another baby. I was ecstatic. And then the demands started. First we had to have a maid to clean house because she was too tired to do it, then we had to have a parlor maid to answer the door and take care of guests, then we had to have a kitchen maid because she was too exhausted to cook. And, of course, I was to pay for them all.

"When Joseph was born she laid down more rules. Someone was to be with him at all times. She wanted me to account for every minute of my day, so she knew when I'd be home to be with the baby. She wanted to make sure that I had no contact with Emma. When Benny got the letter informing him he could apply for the master's program, she pushed me to insist he enter it. She'd withheld the inheritance money that Abby and Benny were supposed to receive, but promised she'd turn it over to them if they continued to abide by 'her' rules. Of course, there was always some excuse that they'd violated the rules, so I never told them about the inheritance.

"I started plotting ways to get out from under this tyrants wings. God help me, I even contemplated murder. I have no doubt that if I'd have been there much longer, I'd have either killed her or myself."

Beau had tears in his eyes, and when I reached over to grab his hand he was trembling. "What did you have to do to get him out, Ben?"

Ben handed Joseph back to Ellie, who burped him expertly and began to sing to him as she rocked him. He giggled and cooed and acted as if there was nothing wrong in his world. I suppose there wasn't. He was warm and full and sleepy, and he had a loving heart and a soft voice holdin' him. Ben cleared his throat and began. "We had to agree to pay for all three maids for the next year. The house is to be transferred to Dani's name only, and there will be no further demands made on Dani for anything regarding any of the children. Benny and Abby will receive their inheritance from their mother's money; I have it with me. She will get one-third of the profits from the land brokerage business; a manager of Beau's choosing will handle all transactions there. The proceeds from the sale of The Gilded Lady are Beau's in full, and have been wired to The Little Bend Bank and Trust Company."

"Is there gonna be a divorce?" Bret asked.

"Yes," Ben answered.

I threw in my two cents worth. "I talked to Smithson Talbet. That can happen as soon as Beau wants it to."

"Right away," was Beau's reply.

"I thought you might say that. He's ready to file everything for you when you go to town to see him."

"You trust him?"

"I trusted him with my life," I told Beau, and he smiled faintly.

"Look, I'm not the type to sit around and do nothin'. As soon as I get my head on straight and am livin' in my own house, I'd like to buy into the ranch."

"Did anybody tell you that Dandy Jim Buckley has property here, and works for us?" Bret asked.

"Are you kidding me? Buckley's here? What's he do, cheat the cowboys out of their wages?"

I took umbrage at that question. "You've been talkin' to Bret too much."

"Even I have to admit, he's got velvet hands when it comes to the more difficult horses we have," Bret admitted.

"And he doesn't cheat," I insisted.

"I've got no problem with Dandy," Beau asserted.

"I think you've had enough problems for one man," Pappy finally added.

"I agree. Come on outside with me, Beau, and have a cigar," his father offered.

Once they were outside Bret shook his head. "What do you think about him buyin' into the ranch?"

"I think it' a good idea. If he can ever shake off what Dani did to him, it'll give him somethin' to do. It just ain't been right without him here. We'll see how things settle in." I'd already been givin' Beau bein' part of the B Bar M a good deal of thought, ever since he told me he was here to stay. Now we had to keep Danielle out of Beau's life for good. I had the feeling that wasn't gonna be an easy task.

1


	8. Lily Mae Two

Chapter 8 – Lily Mae Two

Pauly began building the house, and Beau thrived at Ben's. Of course he would, he had Ellie making sure he ate three meals a day and getting plenty of sleep. As the stress melted away he began to look like the old Beau. Joseph was a happy baby; he seemed to flourish no matter who he was with. Benny worked hard and continued to get glowing reports from Lucien.

Everything was quiet and peaceful, no fights or disagreements. I kept waitin' for somethin' to happen, and sure enough, it did. Ben didn't trust Dani, so they'd had the financial agreement put in writing, which she signed. Beau filed for divorce in Texas and she was willing to go along with everything, until almost the end of August. Then she decided that one-third of the land development business wasn't enough; she wanted half. Smithson Talbot moved to put a fast end to her demand. Since she'd signed the agreement, and it specified one third rather than one half, he sent her a telegram advising her that if she wished to contest the provision she would have to appear in a Texas courtroom to do it. She dropped her demand.

With that out of the way, Beau's divorce proceeded. Every day he looked better and better, and finally he came to me and wanted to try riding one of the Criollo horses. I fixed him up with Little Britches, and the two of them seemed to get along well. Abby wanted to ride, too, so Maudie got her Zanzibar, now that Benny was ridin' his own horse. The three girls went out with Beau one afternoon and had a great time.

Abby must have told Beau about Benny's desire to have his own ranch, and an idea started bouncing around in Beau's head. He discussed it with Bret, and Bret encouraged him to pursue it. After that he talked to Benny and the two must have reached a deal, because the number of bedrooms in the house Pauly was building got changed to three, with no nursery. Joseph was going to get a full-sized bedroom.

Benny worked even harder to learn what he needed to be successful on a ranch of his own, and Beau began searching for small homesteads that were for sale. Even Abby began thinking about going to work in the city . . . maybe San Antonio or Houston or Dallas. She was just weighing her options, as she had no intention of leaving until Beau was fully recovered and Benny was settled in his own place.

By the beginning of September, all the little ones were back in school. Belle was about to leave for college, and she and Maudie were saying their goodbyes. It was a good thing that Abby would still be sharing a room with Maudie for a bit, as my oldest daughter was a little nervous about having an entire bedroom to herself. I told her she could go to college with Belle, but she loved the ranch too much to even think about leavin.'

Instead, Maudie started a new project. When Bret and me and Dandy went to Laredo for Bret's mustangs, he ended up with some that he wasn't going to use. I bought them off of him and gave them to Maudie. She now had a crop of cross-breed foals, and they needed her full attention. She found that working with Uncle Jim helped her get a leg up on their training, and they made good progress.

In the meantime, Beau found a small ranch that he thought Benny might appreciate and they went to look at it. Benny liked the place enough for Beau to make an offer, and within a few days Benny was a ranch owner. He fully intended to pay his Pa back for the initial investment, and he began spending nights and weekends there trying to get the place fixed to his liking. It was only a matter of time before we lost him as an employee.

Lucien and me began lookin' for another young man that wanted to learn the business, and that's how we came to find Lee Patterson. He was seventeen and just beginning to fill out, with a shock of dark hair and emerald green eyes. He was the most polite young man I'd ever met, even worse than Adam, our bartender at Maude's, had been. Everything was 'Yes, sir' and 'No, sir' and 'Mister Maverick,' no matter how many times I told him to call me Bart. He even called Lucien 'Mister Lucien.'

I had a funny feeling about Lee but I couldn't pin it down. Something told me he was going to play an important part in my life, but I couldn't see how. I guess it was God's way of teachin' me patience, because it was quite a while before I understood just what he would come to mean to me.

We'd determined we had enough of the Criollo/Arabian cross-breeds to hold an auction at the end of October and we began preparing for it. Maudie played a big part in gettin' everything ready, and it was a good thing she had something to distract her because Beau's house was finished. That meant Abby would be moving out soon. Ginny and Ellie went to town to buy Beau furniture, some of which the Emporium had expanded to actually have on the premises, and they arranged for delivery the next day, along with just about everything else he could need.

"Maudie, we're gonna leave Belles's bed right where it is since she'll be comin' home on breaks from school. Is that alright with you?"

"Sure, Pa, I can pretend she's still here."

"Does it bother you that she's not?"

"I miss her, sure, but I'll get used to it."

"You sure you don't want to go to college, Maudie?" her mother asked her.

"I'm sure, Mama. You know the last thing I want to do is sit in a classroom again. Everything I want is right here on the ranch, with you and Pa and the horses."

"You're not gonna meet anyone out here on the ranch."

"What would I want to meet someone for? So I could end up like Belle, cryin' over everything? No, not for me, Mama. I don't care if I never meet somebody."

Doralice turned her attention to me. "How can you let her stay here like this, Bart? She'll never find somebody to marry."

"So what if she doesn't? If she's happy like this, that's all I care about."

That was the end of our discussion.

About a week later Ginny and Ellie had Beau's house ready for him and Abby and Joseph to move into. Ben and Ellie were sad to see Beau leave, and Ellie let it be known around town that Beau was going to need a housekeeper, cook and nanny, hopefully, one person to do all three jobs. In other words, a Lily Mae for Beau. I was doubtful she'd ever find another Lily Mae. I was soon proven wrong.


	9. The Gazette

Chapter 9 – The Gazette

Her name was Connie Walker, and she was probably somewhere around thirty-five. Dark hair and darker eyes, she was almost too good to be true. Tall and slender, with a walk that made men turn around and stare, she was a widow with a young daughter named Casandra. She was lookin' for a full-time position where she could keep Casandra, but was willing to take whatever she could find. Ellie was so impressed with her that she offered to take care of the little girl while Connie worked. And Connie was so happy to have found someone that didn't curl up their lip when they saw the child, that she took the job, just during the day, for now, she thought.

Of course, Beau had to approve her, which took all of about five seconds. Or until he'd seen her. In all fairness, he did sit down and talk to her, and he liked what he heard, as well. Abby had decided that she was gonna take a job that made her an offer in Dallas, and for once everything seemed to work out perfectly. Connie moved into the spare bedroom at Beau's house, and Casandra stayed there with her. The child was an absolute delight, and soon she was calling Beau 'Uncle.' Joseph took to Connie right away, and it reminded Beau of his early years when Lily Mae was practically 'mama.'

Abby decided that she would come home every other weekend to help Benny with his ranch, and when she did she stayed with Maudie. When the house was finally liveable she moved some of her personal possessions in there. The rest of her 'stuff', as she called it, remained in the boardinghouse she was living in on the south side of Dallas.

Beau's life had settled into a peaceful routine. After what he'd been through he deserved some peace. Bret and Ginny had him and Joseph over for supper regularly, and when we had anything going on at our house, we invited them. He went out riding with Maudie every day and became a frequent visitor to Dandy Jim's house. As a matter of fact, it was Beau who resuscitated the Friday night poker game, with me, Bret, Beau, Jim and Lucien. Once in a while Benny joined us, but most Friday nights he was workin' on his ranch. It wasn't long before Lee asked if he could come, and Lucien told him sure.

Patterson was a surprise. He played poker the way he lived his life; quietly and close to the vest. He had an excellent poker face, and I spent weeks lookin' for his tell before I found it. Beau's poker was rusty; that was to be expected, given how long it had been since he'd played. Bret and Jim and me were the usual winners, with Lee taking a pot more often than he should.

There was something about the young man that fascinated me, and the first time Belle came home on Christmas break, he fascinated her, too. I was afraid that she was vulnerable and could get hurt if she didn't watch herself, but for the time being it was just a friendship. I was sort of glad when she returned to college and her studies. I really liked Lee, but Belle had been too damaged to get involved in another romance this quickly. As for Lee, after Belle left he never talked about her, and in a way that disappointed me. I know, I couldn't have it both ways. But in every way Lee was the perfect boy for Belle.

He was only slightly older than her, and it was obvious that he'd received more of an education than just the local school. I tried to find out more about him, but all I could learn was that he'd been orphaned early in life and spent his formative years living with the reverend over in Claytonville.

He was determined to make something of himself. Like Benny, he wanted his own place when he was older. Yet he liked the idea of livin' in Little Bend proper. I encouraged him to take his time before he made up his mind. I also reminded him that if he lived in town he'd have a lot of ridin' back and forth to do, which could cost him precious time at the ranch. He thanked me for my advice and went back to work.

Finally, the day came when Benny gave his notice to me and Lucien. Abby had taken off from work that week and she, Beau, Ellie and Ben helped him move in. I gave him six head of horses as a reward for all his hard work, three of the Criollo/Arabians and three mustangs. Ben and Ellie gifted him with two milk cows and a half dozen chickens. Bret bought him a rooster. Pappy presented him with half-a-dozen pigs and a plow. Maudie and Belle went in on two bags of wheat seeds. Lucien gave him a shiny silver dollar. Jim furnished him three baby goats. Beau hired a farmer to help him plow and plant the wheat, and bought him a bull and two heifers, as well as two steers. I was happy to see him realize his dream but sorry to see him go. He would be missed on a daily basis, but had a standing invitation to come to dinner on Sunday to every house on the ranch, including Dandy Jim's.

Lee wasted no time stepping into the spot that Benny vacated. He took over most of Benny's duties while retaining his own. "Damn, that boy works himself day and night," Lucien remarked the next time I saw him.

"Has he said anything to you about havin' a place of his own?" I asked.

"Nope. Not a word," came Lucien's reply. "Say, boss, has he talked to you about Belle?"

I had to laugh. "Nope, not a word. Why?"

"You know they write to each other?"

"I did not know that. Does he talk to you about Belle?"

"A little. More than anything else, but that's not sayin' a lot. Maybe he don't talk to you because you're her daddy. And the boss."

"Maybe."

Next time I heard from Belle I asked her about Lee. "We're just friends, Pa. Don't get worried on me. Mama already knows we write to each other."

So I went to Doralice. "What's this that you know about Belle and Lee writin' to each other?"

"That's all I know, that they write to each other. She writes to a lot of people besides you and me and Lee. She writes to Maudie and Abby, too. The girl's got nothin' to do but study and write. Did you know she's been writin' columns to the Little Bend Gazette? Ain't you been readin' the paper?"

I must admit, I hadn't been. "What are they about?"

"All about her life at college. What it's like for a small-town girl to go to the city for college."

Belle had gone to San Antonio for college. I looked for the latest edition of the Gazette and found it on the counter in the kitchen. Evidently, I was the only one that didn't know about her writing. But that was the typical scheme of things around here. I settled in at the kitchen table with the paper and a cup of coffee.

_Dear Folks Back Home:_

_Hi, it's me again, Belle Maverick, and I'm here to give you an update on life in the big city for a small-town girl. Everything moves so fast here compared to back home. I must say, I prefer our speed to what I experience here. People hurry everywhere, from shop to shop, from one class to another, even when they go out to eat. Yes, people do a lot of that here. Even eating Is done in a hurry. I miss Little Bend and the house I grew up in, but I especially miss my twin sister. This 'dorm room' is a small and lonely place, with none of the warmth and laughter I experienced growing up. I can't wait for spring break so I can go home and visit for a few days._

_But in the meantime . . . _

That wasn't all she wrote, but I had worked hard all day and my eyes and attention span were failing me. Even the coffee wasn't gonna keep me awake. So I decided to go upstairs and take a nap before supper. And that's just what I did.

1


	10. Eating In, Eating Out

Chapter 10 – Eating In, Eating Out

I did finish readin' Belle's column, and it was good. Especially for a beginner. I made it a point after that to make sure I read the paper every week.

As semester break loomed before us I went to visit Benny one day to see how he was doin.' I was surprised to find him with a whole herd of cattle, and I asked him where he'd gotten them. "I bought 'em," is exactly what he told me. From the tone in his voice, I didn't ask any questions. Not where did he get them, what did they cost, or where'd he got the money. The answers to all those questions were strictly his business. Otherwise, he seemed to be well. Both the chickens and the pigs had multiplied, and one of the horses was with foal. Other than the one answer he was friendly and willing to chat, and I left with an overall good feeling.

Maudie was looking forward to Belle coming home for a week. She'd really missed havin' her twin in the room with her; the only socializing she did was her occasional visit to Benny. The next time I saw her I asked her casually where Benny had gotten the herd of cattle. "Why, he bought 'em, Pa."

"Do you know what he bought 'em with?"

"I think he borrowed the money from the bank."

That was where I dropped it. Belle came home and there was a lot of squealing coming from their bedroom. I guess that meant they were happy to see each other. I expected Belle to spend more time with us than she did. Our girls were growing up and growing away from us, and it made me sad. Now I knew how Pappy felt when Bret and me were so eager to leave home. You have 'em and raise 'em and love 'em, but at some point you gotta let go and let 'em fly. We'd sort of lost Belle when she went off to college; the young woman that came home that spring was our daughter, but not our little girl. If you ever have children, you'll understand.

I saw her with Lee Patterson down by the river; they were holding hands and walkin' along the riverbank. She still insisted they were just friends. When she did sit down and talk to us, she told us that she'd really gotten interested in journalism and writing and that she wanted something more than the column in the Gazette. Doralice encouraged her, and I told her that I supported whatever made her happy.

The week went by too fast and soon she was gone again. I was secretly glad that Maudie had no interest in college, and seemed to want nothin' more than to stay on the ranch. I know that Doralice hoped for more from our oldest, but I was pleased that she was so interested in what I'd been doin' for so many years.

When Beau came to supper that Sunday he brought Connie and Casandra with him. He pulled me aside and asked me, "I hope you don't mind but I'll be bringin' Connie and Cassie with me from now on. They're part of my family, and I feel they should be included."

"You never took Lily Mae with you when you came over to our house for a meal," I reminded him.

"Yes, well, Lily Mae is a sweetheart, but she never looked like that," he emphasized as he cast a glance at Connie. The woman was indeed beautiful, and Beau had always been a ladies man, even more so than Bret. In other words, like it or lump it.

I chose to like it. "They're always welcome here. How does your father feel about it?"

"Pa just rolled his eyes, a move he no doubt learned from your father. Ellie made it clear that anywhere I was invited, they were invited."

"Where's Joseph?" I asked.

"He wasn't feelin' good. And Ellie came over to stay with him."

"Say, I see that Benny's got himself a good lookin' herd out there. You get 'em for him?"

Beau shook his head. "Nope. I had nothin' to do with it."

Once again, the subject was dropped. Connie was a bright and interesting lady, and Beau hung on her every word. Her husband had been killed when the herd he was helping drive to Kansas stampeded. He'd never even gotten to meet his daughter, and Beau was the first man in her life . . . that's why the little girl had taken to him so quickly. And Beau acted like he couldn't be happier about it.

Time was going by too fast in my life. My babies were growin' up, equine and human, and I seemed to have no control over anything anymore. Lucien and me got together and decided we'd have another sale, this one a private sale as opposed to the auction we'd held last year in October. We let those men that had expressed interest in the cross-breed know that some of them were gonna be for sale and they could be seen at the ranch on April first. By the second week in March I'd had a response from every one of the people I'd notified. "Looks like this is gonna be a successful sale, boss," Lucien remarked as we got the last of the confirmations.

"Sure hope so, Lucien. I was countin' on gettin' money from Beau to invest in some improvements around here. Then when he decided to back Benny instead, I had to put those things off. The breedin' barn needs a new roof and the north pasture needs a whole new fence. I need to buy Pauly the materials to do the repairs. Within the next year, we're gonna need a couple more Arabian mares. And they're certainly not cheap. Even if we have a spectacular sale I might not have enough."

"Why don't you just borrow it from the bank and pay it back when the sale's over? That way you could get Pauly started on the repairs."

I mulled it over for a minute. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll go into town tomorrow and talk to Mr. Mulland. "

I checked over the horses we had for sale and decided Lucien's idea was sound. So the next morning I got up early and went in to Little Bend, stopping for breakfast at Sawyers. When Sawyer saw me over in the corner she brought a menu and the coffee pot. "Hey, Bart, haven't seen you for a while. How's things out at the ranch?"

"About the same as always. Not a lot changes out there, Sawyer. How's business?"

"Really good, thanks for asking. So good that I'm thinking of expanding."

"Oh? Which way?"

"South," she told me. "The gun shop closed down and their building is available really cheap."

"So, you think you're gonna do it?"

"Yeah, it looks that way. More and more people are settlin' in town, and they don't wanna cook all their meals anymore."

"Did you see Belle's article in the Gazette some weeks back? She talked about how people 'ate out' in San Antonio. Guess that's gettin' to be a thing in the big city, huh?"

Sawyer nodded enthusiastically. "I did see what she wrote. She's gettin' to be quite a little journalist, ain't she? But about this eatin' out thing . . . it really seems to be catchin' on. I've noticed more people in here in the evening; morning too. Course you know what it's like at lunch. Sawyer's and Mamacita's is all there is for lunch in town. I've had to put on extra help. But I think I'm gonna buy the building next door and give it a try. I don't suppose Pauly Wilcox is available right now, is he?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm just gettin' ready to do some much-needed repairs on the ranch. Should take about four to six weeks. After that, he's all yours. Do you want his whole crew?"

"Yeah, all of them. He's worth waitin' for. I'll buy the building and wait. You tell him I got a job for him when he's available, would you Bart?"

That made up my mind if it hadn't been made up before. When I left here I was headed down to The Little Bend Bank and Trust to see if I could float a loan.

1


	11. Collateral

Chapter 11 – Collateral

After I paid for my breakfast I went down to the bank to see Mr. Mulland. He was a fairly new arrival in Little Bend, but when I was introduced to him he shook my hand enthusiastically. "Mr. Maverick, always glad to meet a prominent citizen of Little Bend."

I had to laugh. "I don't think prominent is the word you're lookin' for, sir. I think infamous would be more accurate."

"Now, now sir. Gambler, Saloon Manager, Member of the Town Council, Ranch Owner. All in a relatively short lifetime. And the father of six to boot. What can I do for you today, Mr. Maverick?"

"I'd like to talk to you about a loan."

"Please, Mr. Maverick. Come into my office."

I followed him into a very nice office and took a seat in front of his desk. "Now, what is this about a loan?"

So I explained what I wanted to do to the ranch, and all about the upcoming sale. Mulland gave me a peculiar look. "And what would you put forward as collateral, Mr. Maverick?"

"Collateral?" I asked curiously.

"You know, collateral. Something pledged as security for repayment of a loan, to be forfeited in the event of a default. Like your nephew, Benny did with his loan. He put up his ranch as collateral."

"Let me think about it." Technically, the ranch was in my name, even though I'd given Bret half of it. But it was the whole ranch that needed repair, not just half. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good. That's a wise choice. Now how much do you want to borrow?"

I gave him an amount, and he asked his next question. "And how long do you want to take to pay it back?"

"Six months."

"You know, you might want to consider extending that payback to one year. That way if something happens your payments will be lower."

"And I'll be paying you more interest. No, thanks. Six months."

"Of course, Mr. Maverick. I assume you'll want the funds deposited into your account here at the bank?"

"Yes."

"Good. If you'll give us about an hour we'll have the documents and your money ready."

"All right. I'll come back in an hour." Me and Mr. Mulland stood and we shook hands.

"Good doing business with you, Mr. Maverick."

"Same here, Mr. Mulland."

I left the bank and went to the cigar store, where I purchased half a dozen cigars. From there I walked on down to the lumber yard, which was a fairly new business in town. So much easier than ordering lumber from the Emporium.

The owner, George Lackey, was cutting a board to size for someone. Soon as he was finished we started tryin' to determine how much lumber Pauly was gonna need. I left the calcuatin' to George when I gave him the measurements. I have enough trouble with horses and cards, I'm not gonna attempt lumber, too. "Okay, Mr. Maverick, far as I can figure it's gonna take about this much to do the job."

"Alright, George, I'll take half of that for now. I'll be back to pay you in about an hour."

"Sure thing. I'll get it ordered."

With nothin' to do for a while, I walked on down to Maude's. Willie saw me comin' and was pourin' me a coffee soon as I came in the door. "Hey, Willie, ain't Billy promoted you yet?"

"He's tried two or three times, boss, but I won't let him. I like my job and I don't want another one."

"Smart man. Is he in right now?"

"Naw, he won't be here until noon."

"Sleepin' in, is he?"

"No, we had a little cowboy trouble last night. Two of 'em got into it and they was raisin' hell and Mr. Billy tried to break it up. He got knocked out by a stray punch, and it was after two before he was steady enough to get home."

"Did you get the doctor down here?"

"Couldn't. Doc was out deliverin' another baby. Heard that he hired him a midwife to assist with all the babies bein' born, but she ain't here yet."

"Before you know it there'll be women doctors."

"I heard there was one already."

"One what?" Billy asked as he walked in the door. He had a shiner, alright.

"I know how that feels. Go lie down in your office and I'll get Simon."

"I'm fine, Bart, I don't need the doctor."

"Oh yes you do. You were unconscious."

"Yes, boss," he answered reluctantly, while I headed back out the door.

Five minutes later I was back with Simon. "You did the right thing, Bart," he commented as he examined Billy. Fortunately, there was no concussion.

After Simon left, I asked Billy, "Did Parker at least arrest 'em?"

"Oh yeah, he did that alright. Sorry I wasn't here when you got here."

"I think you had a pretty good reason for bein' late."

"Was there somethin' that you wanted, boss? I sent you the books last month."

"I know you did. I looked at 'em, too. No, I just wanted to see how you and Evan were doin' with the baby."

"Which one?"

"You mean you've got two of 'em? I have been out of the loop for quite a while."

"You haven't been yourself since that whole Travis Cole affair with the judge."

"I ain't been myself since Travis Cole came to town. It was tough, I'll tell ya that, but I think I'm startin' to get a handle on it. You should be seein' me more often from now on."

"That's good to hear. We miss you. It ain't the same around here without you."

"I'll remember that. Well, I've got to go to the bank. Give my best to Evan."

"And you do the same to Doralice."

I said goodbye to Willie on my way out and crossed the street to the bank. I looked everything over, signed the papers and was handed a copy of them and a deposit recipe in the amount I'd asked for. I shook hands with the clerk and went back to the lumber yard. I paid George and headed across the street when somethin' caught my eye. It was in the window of the ladies dress shop, so I changed direction and went on in. "That pair of silver and turquoise earrings in the window. Could I see those?"

The saleslady hurried to the window and came back with the earrings. "Beautiful," I murmured. "How much?"

She quoted me a price that would have stopped most men. But Doralice had discovered quite a while back that she was allergic to somethin' in gold, and I'd never replaced any of her jewelry. These were too pretty to pass up. "I'll take 'em," I told her.

"For a special lady?" she asked.

"A very special lady," I replied. "My wife."

"Ah, then let me wrap them special, too. I'll just be a minute." She took the earrings and disappeared in the back. When she returned a few minutes later they were in a small box that was wrapped in silver paper, with pink ribbon and a bow around it. I could never have done anything like that, and it was just the right touch. I paid for the earrings and put them in my coat pocket. "This shop is new, isn't it?"

"Yes sir, we've only been open a couple of months."

"Well look, if you get in anything that matches these, let me know, would you?"

I wrote down my name and B Bar M Ranch. "Anybody can tell you where we are."

"Oh yes, Mr. Maverick. I'm sure they could. Thank you for your purchase, Mr. Maverick."

"And thank you for your thoughtfulness, Miss . . . I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Sandy. Sandy Thompson."

"Is this your shop, Miss Thompson?"

"Yes, sir, it is. I always wanted to own a shop that catered to the finer things for the ladies, so here I am."

"Well, I promise to be a loyal customer, Miss Thompson. My Doralice is about yeah high (I held out my hand), with blonde hair and aqua-blue eyes. She's a little thing."

"I will certainly keep you and your Doralice in mind, sir. It sounds like you love her very much."

"More than I can begin to tell you, Miss Thompson. Well, I want to get these home. Thanks again."

I couldn't wait for Doralice to see them. And I forgot all about Benny's loan and collateral with the bank.


	12. The Demise

Chapter 12 – The Demise

I grabbed my beauty by the hand and took her into the great room, sitting on the settee and gently pulling her down with me. "What?" she asked me. "I was writing to Belle."

"This is more important right now," I explained as I pulled the little silver-wrapped box out of my pocket.

"Ooooh!" she exclaimed and took the box from me. "What is it? The wrapping is beautiful."

"Open it up and see."

She daintily took the ribbon off, then the silver paper, and finally she opened the box. "Oh my God, Bart, they're beautiful!" She put the earrings on and she was right – they were beautiful. "But, why?"

"Why not?" I answered softly.

She leaned over and kissed me. "You remembered that I was allergic to gold."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Where did you get these? They're so gorgeous."

"There's a new shop for ladies in town. The woman that owns it is named Sandy Thompson. She's got a standing order to let me know if anything else like this comes in."

"How'd it go at the bank?"

"The new bank manager fawned all over me, then he gave me the loan. I went right over to George at the lumber yard and ordered half of the lumber he says we'll need. Pauly will have workin' material by next week. And Sawyer wants to hire him when he's through here. She's gonna expand. Looks like that trend that Belle wrote about . . . that eatin' out business is catchin' on here, too. Next thing you know we'll have some cattleman comin' in here and openin' a steakhouse. Might give Benny someplace to sell his cattle."

Benny's collateral at the bank was on the tip of my tongue when Maudie came runnin' in. "Daddy! Daddy! Hurry! I think Spreckles broke his leg."

I went runnin' after her, down to the barn, where Spreckels was down on the ground. He was trying to get up but couldn't put any weight on his front leg. I bent down to take a look at it and Maudie was right, the leg was broken. "Go get my guns, girl."

"No, Daddy, no! You can't shoot him!"

"Do you want him to be in constant pain? Even if we could fix it, it ain't gonna heal right. Get me my guns and get outta the barn."

With tears streaming down her face, my brave girl got me the Remington, then stood right alongside me. "Get outta the barn, Maudie."

"No. If I'm ever gonna run the ranch, I'm gonna hafta do things like this. Besides, I want to be here with him."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

I pulled the hammer back, took aim and fired. At the very last second she turned her face into my coat. With one shot it was all over. Maudie cried and cried, and we walked out of the barn, leaning her face into me so she didn't have to see her beloved horse. Lucien came running over to us when we got out into the corral. "Spreckles?" was all he asked.

"Yeah," I told him.

"Maudie, why don't you come to the other barn with me? I've got a real fine lookin' two-year-old that's bein' broke this week."

She raised her head an asked, "Colt or filly?"

"Filly," he answered. "She's a Blue Roan Appaloosa. You've never seen anything like her. She's just gorgeous. And the sweetest tempered thing you'd ever wanna meet."

She pulled away from me and went with Lucien. I called Slim over. "The gunshot?" he asked.

"Spreckles. Broke his leg. Lucien is distractin' Maudie with a special filly."

"Oh yeah, probably the Blue Roan Appaloosa. You need the carcass disposed of, boss?"

"Take a couple of the boys and bury him. Out in the south pasture, but someplace we can find. She'll wanna go there for a while."

"You got it, boss."

I went back to the house, all thoughts of Benny and his loan driven from my head. Doralice met me at the door. "How is she?"

"She'll be alright. Lucien distracted her with a Blue Roan Appaloosa filly. She's with him now."

"I thought she'd be a weeping mess. Spreckles was pretty special to her."

"She was, at first. But like I said, Lucien distracted her. I think she'll be fine."

"What did you do with . . . "

"I had him buried in the south pasture. She'll be glad she's got a grave to go visit. I couldn't just have him chopped up."

"No, she wouldn't have forgiven you for that. You did the right thing."

"Why don't you have Lily Mae make that pork dish she likes so much? And a chocolate cake for dessert? Maybe that'll cheer her up a little bit."

"Good idea. I'll be back."

In just a minute or so I heard Lily Mae gasp. Unexpectedly, she came running into the great room. "Oh, that poor dear child. She must be heartbroken."

"She was, Lily Mae, and she probably still is. I thought maybe we could do something special for her for supper."

"I can do that, yes, sir, I sure can. Maybe bring a smile back to her face."

"Good. I'm sure that'll help make her feel better."

When Maudie came back to the house, about twenty minutes later, she was once again weeping.

I gathered her into my arms and held her while she sobbed against me. Obviously she wasn't gonna feel better overnight. "What did you think of the filly?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, I guess."

"You don't sound very enthused. Why don't you have some supper? Lily Mae made some special things for you."

"I don't want any food, Dad. I'm going to bed."

"But, Maudie . . . "

"Bed, Dad."

I waited about ten minutes and followed her upstairs. I found her in her bed, sobbing.

"I wasn't ready, Daddy."

"We never are, sweetheart. When Noble laid down the final time, I cried for a week. But we go on."

"Do we ever get over it?" she asked me through her tears.

"No, but we get used to it."

"I don't wanna get used to it. I want him back!"

"I know sweetheart, but you and me both know that ain't gonna happen." I pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, buttercup."

"Night, Daddy."

This had been a day of triumph and tragedy, and I was glad it was over.

1


	13. Anaplasmosis

Chapter 13 – Anaplasmosis

Maudie stayed in her bedroom all day the next day. I could hear her periodically crying in there, but I left her alone. Her mother went in to talk to her once or twice; I didn't figure there was much I could do. After all, seeing me would just remind her that I was the villain that had done the deed. And in a way I guess I was.

She stayed in her room the day after that, too. The only difference – no crying could be heard. And when Lily Mae took a plate of food up in the afternoon, it came back clean.

On the morning of the third day, I walked past her bedroom on the way downstairs and the door was open, the room empty. "Doralice," I called, "do you know where Maudie is?"

"No, but I know that she got up early and left. Go check with Lucien."

So I went down to the barn to see Lucien. "All I can tell you, boss, is she came down here, saddled Zanzibar, and left. She rode out south like she was goin' to Benny's."

Ah, that made sense, I told myself as I walked back to the house. If she couldn't talk to me, she'd go to Benny's. Now all I could do was wait. Like that was gonna be easy.

She was gone most of the day, and when she returned she was in a decidedly different mood. She seemed more troubled than angry when she finally came in the house, and she came straight to me with a confused look on her face. "Dad, can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Maudie. Do you want to go in my office?"

"Yes, please."

Once we got in there she closed the door. "Daddy, Benny's cattle are sick. Some of them have died."

"What do you mean they're sick?"

"I don't know. I just know the whole herd looks sickly. He hasn't got any money for a vet. Can you send Dr. Wabach out to his ranch?"

Dr. Wabach had only been in town for about six months. "I can ask him to go out and take a look."

"Thank you." If that was all that was botherin' her she should have looked happier. I knew she was still grievin' over Spreckles, but there was somethin' else. Somethin' she wasn't tellin' me.

"Maudie, is there somethin' you're not tellin' me?"

She hesitated before answering and didn't look at me. "Uh, no. Daddy. Thank you."

I sent Slim into town to dispatch Dr. Wabach to Benny's ranch. "Dr. says he'll go out there first thing in the mornin'."

That seemed like a reasonable answer, so I said thank you and let it go at that. Maudie came down and ate supper with us that night, but she never said anything. The next morning I was in the barn watchin' Lucien put the Appaloosa through her paces. She was comin' along real fine, and I figured about the time Maudie got used to Spreckles bein' gone the filly would be ready. She was a bright and gentle girl, and I was happy with what Lucien had accomplished with her.

"Mr. Maverick?"

I turned to see the vet. "Dr. Wabach, come on in. What can you tell me about Benny's cattle?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid. He's lost about half the herd and the other half is lookin' mighty sickly."

"Is there anything you can do for them?"

"No, I'm afraid not. The half that's still alive should be destroyed."

I shook my head. "That's tough Doc. What's wrong with 'em?"

"Well, the technical name is Anaplasmosis. It's a blood disease caused by ticks. You've probably heard it called yellow-fever."

"Did you tell Benny this?"

"I did and to say the least he was none too pleased. He was muttering something to himself that I couldn't quite understand."

"What do I owe you Doc?"

"Nothing Mr. Maverick. I_ c_an't charge somebody when I give them a diagnosis like that."

We shook hands. "Well, I appreciate that, Doc. Thanks for going out there."

"You're welcome."

I went back to the house to do some paperwork and Maudie caught up with me later in my office. "Did you hear from the vet Daddy?"

"I did. Come in and sit down Maudie."

She looked at me with something akin to terror in her eyes. "It's bad isn't it?"

"I'm afraid it is. There was nothing that the vet could do honey. He's probably gonna lose all of 'em."

She clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh, no!"

"It's a tough break honey, but he can recover from it. I'm sure Beau would help him buy more cattle so he can start over."

"You don't understand Daddy." It seemed like she was gonna say more, but she cut herself off. "What is it you're not tellin' me, Maude?"

She shook her head. Nothing. Whatever it was she wasn't gonna tell me.


	14. The Bank Closes In

Chapter 14 – The Bank Closes In

Several days went by, and with every day Maudie seemed to get stronger and Spreckles played less upon her consciousness. I know that she was still missin' him and grievin' that he wasn't' there, but she was strong and resilient and slowly but surely he seemed to slip from her mind. I knew there was something still bothering her, but she wouldn't tell me what it was.

Two or three weeks later she came to see me again and this time she finally told me. We were in my office and she was helping with the payroll when she out and out asked me. "Daddy how much money do I have?"

"Well, let's look. One, two, three hundred and twenty-five dollars. Quite a big sum for someone as young as you. Is there something that you want to buy?"

"How much are cattle?"

"You thinkin' about Benny?"

She looked at me with pleading in her eyes. "Not exactly."

"What then?"

"Well, how much do cattle cost?"

"Do you wanna buy cattle?"

"Just tell me."

"Way more than you've got, sweetie. It's a nice thought, but you can't buy him cattle."

"That's not what I want to do. He's in trouble and the bank is threatenin' to foreclose on the ranch."

"They what?"

All of a sudden I remembered what Mr. Mulland had told me about Benny and the ranch. It had slipped past me several times, and now I felt really bad about it.

"I said, the bank is . . ."

"I heard you. He borrowed the money to buy the cattle and he put the ranch up as collateral, is that what you're telling me?"

"Yes."

"Is that what's been bothering you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"He made me promise not to."

"Beau tried to lend him the money, and he wouldn't take it."

"I know. Benny wanted to do it all by himself."

"And you see what it's come to?"

"He was just tryin' to make it on his own, Daddy."

I softened my tone. "I know sweetheart, but I've got to tell Beau. That's what we're here for, to get you all started in life."

"Do you have to tell his father?"

"Yes, honey because Beau will never forgive me if I don't."

"Do I have to go with you?"

"No sweetheart, you don't. I'm gonna go down there now."

Within five minutes I was down at Beau's. Connie answered the door and Casandra followed her there. "Mr. Maverick, come in. Beau's in his bedroom. I'll get him for you."

"That's alright, Connie. I've got somethin' I need to talk to him about. And remember it's Bart."

She blushed prettily. "Yes, sir. Bart. Go right on back."

I rushed into Beau's bedroom and closed the door behind me. "Bart, what's wrong?"

"Beau, do you know how Benny got those cattle of his?"

"Uh, no."

"He took out a loan with the bank."

"Well, that's his problem."

"Beau, the cattle are all dead."

"They're what?"

"They're dead, Beau."

"How?"

"Yellow–fever."

"Jesus."

"That's not the worst of it.""

"It gets worse?

"It does. He put up his ranch for collateral."

"He what?"

"And he can't pay the mortgage payment. Maudie says the bank is about to foreclose."

"I have to go into town tomorrow and find out what's happening."

"I think that's a good idea. Don't mention Maudie. He swore her to secrecy."

"I'll let you know what I find out."


	15. The Walls Close In

Chapter 15 – The Walls Close In

Beau came in the back door about one o'clock and found Doralice and me sitting at the kitchen table finishing lunch. "Coffee Mr. Beau?" Lily Mae offered, and of course, Beau accepted.

"What did you find out?" I asked.

"Maudie had it right. Benny can't make the mortgage payments, and the bank is getting ready to foreclose on him."

Beau looked like he was ready to explode, and I figured this was no place for the explosion. "Let's go into my office." As soon as we got inside, I closed the doors. It was none too soon.

"Damnit, Bart, why didn't he come to me? We could have avoided all this nonsense about foreclosure. Instead, he goes to the bank and when disaster hits he loses everything! Are they stupid until they're thirty years old?"

"Were we stupid until we were thirty? There's a difference, Beau. We didn't have pa's that could have helped us out, and we didn't have anything to lose but the shirts on our backs."

Beau dropped into a chair by my desk. "Yeah, but we had brains and cunning and imagination. All Benny's got is stubbornness."

"We had that, too, Beau. In abundance, I might add."

"That still doesn't excuse being stupid."

"No, it doesn't."

There was a knock at the door. It was Lily Mae. "Gentlemen, can I bring in some coffee?"

"Yes, please, Lily," I told her.

"And some brandy," Beau added.

We waited until Lily came back in with a tray carrying the coffee and brandy. I poured myself a cup and let Beau pour his own. He ended up with about half and half and it looked more like what Dandy drank. I was hopeful it would calm him down but it didn't have that effect.

"What are you gonna do?" I made the mistake of asking, and it seemed to set him off again.

"I don't know. I should just let him figure this out all by himself. If we would have done something this stupid that's just what our fathers would have done. Especially yours. You saw what yours did to me for the mere act of winning a medal. And mine didn't dare defy Beauregard's pronouncement either."

"Then don't you think we should have learned something? That there has to be a better way to deal with the situation?"

Just about that time, Bret burst thru the doors. Maybe burst isn't the right word but he sure didn't knock.

"Connie came over and told me what happened. What are you gonna do?"

"Oh, I don't know. Killing him comes to mind."

"I was tryin' to remind Beau that we did some pretty stupid things in our day too," I offered.

Bret laughed. "Us? No, we were too smart to get into a situation like this. Weren't we?"

That stopped Beau's ranting and raving, as the sarcasm in Bret's question made him think about some of the things the three of us had done. We all sat there for a few minutes and contemplated some of the scrapes and escapades we'd been through. Bret had brought a cup with him and he poured coffee. So did Beau, but his was minus the brandy this time.

Beau was the next to speak. "Alright, I get your point. I can't kill him, and we probably weren't any brighter. So what should I do?"

"Lend him the money to make the mortgage payments," I suggested.

"Make the mortgage payments yourself," was Bret's idea.

"Both good ideas, but I don't think they would have taught him anything. No, I think it would be cheaper for me to let the ranch go into foreclosure and then buy it back from the bank. They always cut the price down some when they resell the property."

"And what about Benny? What are you gonna do about him?" Bret asked.

"I'm not quite sure. I'm still pissed off at him."

"We got to be pretty close when he worked here," I told them. "Why don't you let me go down to see him and see what he as to say for himself? At least we'd know what he was thinkin' that way."

"That's not a bad idea," my older brother remarked.

"Thanks. I do have them sometimes."

Bret took a swat at me and it finally broke the tension in the room. "Alright, I'll wait to make a decision until I hear what he's gonna do. Then I'll decide what my next move is."

"Good. I think that's a much better idea than killin' him."

XXXXXXXX

I took my time ridin' down to Benny's place. I wanted to make sure I didn't say somethin' that would make him upset or angry, or feel like he'd had his back pushed up against the wall. In other words, I wanted to be the kindly uncle.

I found Benny buryin' the last of his steers. I dismounted and waited for him to finish. "I guess you know by now what happened?"

"With the steers you mean? Yes, Benny, I do."

"Why, Bart? Why did this have to happen to me?"

"Bad things happen to good people all the time," I told him. "The question is, what are you gonna do now?"

"There's more that you don't know."

"What more?"

"Come inside the house for a minute."

It was cooler inside the house, and we sat down at the kitchen table. "I did a really dumb thing, Bart. I mortgaged the ranch to get the money to buy the cattle."

"Now you have no cattle."

"And a mortgage I can't pay."

"They did explain to you what happens when you don't make your mortgage payments, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"So what are you going to do?" I let him think about that for a minute. "You can always borrow the money from your father."

"NO! That's not gonna happen."

I heard the resentment and anger in his voice, but I didn't know why they were there. "Then what?"

"I'll go to the bank and see if I can work somethin' out."

"What? You need money to make the mortgage payments, and you don't have any of that. You're gonna have to get a job and you won't be able to work the ranch. Plus how are you gonna buy cattle with no money? I still think the best thing to do is borrow from your father."

"No. I'll think of something else."

That, it seemed, was his final word on the subject. Rather than risk further alienation, I let it slide and went back to Beau's house. Connie was sittin' out on the front porch and Casandra was playin' in the yard. "He's still in an awful mood," she told me.

"I would be, too," was about all I could think of to say.


	16. Anticipation

Chapter 16 – Anticipation

I told Beau everything that Benny had told me. "Why won't he accept my help?"

"Don't have an answer for that. But he sure is mad at you about somethin.'"

"And he didn't give you any idea what's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Not a one."

Connie's pronouncement of Beau being in an awful mood wasn't far off the mark. He threw a pillow across the room before turning to me. "What is wrong with these kids? I'm here to give him a helping hand, and he refuses it. The banks not gonna wait much longer before they foreclose."

"Not much we can do if you don't know what the problem is. Maybe Maudie can find out."

"No, leave your daughter out of it. She's done enough. I don't want to trade on their friendship any more than we already have."

"Alright. I'm headin' home. I promised to do somethin' for Doralice this afternoon. You know where I am if you figure anything out."

I went home, still pondering just what it was that had Benny so upset with his father. Three days passed and I heard nothing from Benny or Beau. Then on the fourth day, Benny showed up at the ranch and wanted to talk to me. I was in the barn watching Lucien put the Appaloosa Roan through her paces. She was almost ready for Maudie. A little feisty, but Maudie would appreciate that.

Benny walked up and took a position next to me while I leaned on the fence. "Well, you were right, Bart. The bank wasn't interested in anything except when could I pay them. They didn't want to negotiate. This morning someone from there came by and told me I had twenty-four hours to pay in full or be out. So, I came here to see if you could still use me."

"Benny, what have you got against your father? Why wouldn't you let him help you?"

"I . . . I really don't want to discuss it, Bart."

"Trust is a mutual thing you know. Look, Benny, you want me to trust you enough to let you work here but you don't trust me enough to tell me what the problem is between you and your pa. I'd love to have you back here but I can't have somebody that I don't trust. So as long as you don't trust me enough to tell me what the problem is I can't hire you back. Do you understand?"

He pulled back from the fence and glared at me but he said nothing. He turned and walked out of the barn without making a sound and in a few minutes, he was gone. Lucien came over to the fence and shook his head. "Must be somethin' really awful if he won't trust you enough to tell you."

"Do you think that was the wrong move?"

"Nope. You gotta force his hand or he's not gonna tell you. Why don't you send Maudie down to see him now? He might tell her what's botherin' him."

"Slim, run on up to the house and send Maudie down."

"Sure boss."

Five minutes later Maudie came down to see what I wanted. "Honey, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure Daddy. What's up?"

"Can you go down to Benny's and see if he'll tell you what the problem is between him and his pa?"

"Does he know I'm coming?"

"No." A thought crossed my mind. "You about ready to ride the Roan filly?"

She glanced over at the filly and quickly looked away. "Not yet, Daddy. I still miss my baby boy."

"Baron's saddled. Why don't you take him?"

She giggled. "You think I can handle him?"

"He's gentle as a pussycat now. You can handle him."

She kissed me on the cheek and headed for Baron, who was tied up outside. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, darlin'."

XXXXXXXX

It was almost dusk when my oldest girl came back. "You two have a lot of talkin' to do?"

"We did," she told me as she hopped down off Baron. "I think it was productive. Benny's gonna come up tomorrow mornin' and talk to you. It's not that he doesn't trust you Dad. I think he's embarrassed that this bothers him so much."

"Did he tell you?"

"No, he wants to talk to you first."

"Alright, sweetie at least he's finally willing to talk. I'll just have to wait until morning."

Another night staring at the ceiling, wondering what great conflict existed between father and son. And the only thing I had to look forward to was spending the whole night with the warm soft woman lying here in my arms.

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	17. Stubborn

Chapter 17 – Stubborn

I was up early. Maudie said Benny would be by in the morning, but I didn't know what time that meant to Benny so I decided to work on my paperwork. About eight o'clock Lily Mae brought in a pot of coffee and a plate of sweet rolls, and I stopped to have 'breakfast.' When I was finished I went back to what I'd been doing and about an hour later there was a knock on the office door. "Come in," I yelled, and Benny entered. "Want some coffee?" I asked and he nodded 'yes.'

"Hungry?"

"No, thank you." He hesitated and then added, "Maudie told you I was coming up?"

"Yes, she did. Does that mean you decided to trust me?"

"I do trust you, Bart."

"It didn't seem that way yesterday."

"Yesterday had nothing to do with trust.

"Alright," I said. "Then tell me what it did have to do with."

"You'll probably think it's foolish for me to be upset about this."

"Quit stalling, Benny and tell me what the problem is that you have with your father."

"Pa is writing to Dani."

I stopped what I was doing and turned to the young man. "You mean Dani, your mother."

"Yes."

"And you don't think he should be writing to her?"

"She made his life hell, Bart. She made all of our lives hell. He's got a new life, a good life here. Why does he want to ruin it by getting involved with her again?"

"Have you read any of the letters?"

"No."

"Then how do you know what they're writing about?" Benny had made assumptions based on . . . what? A wild guess?

"Well . . . I guess I don't. But . . . "

It was time this young man heard some facts about parents. "Dani is the mother of his children. He loved her for a whole lot of years. As parents, they need to talk to each other about those children, even when the kids are grown. And they should be kind to each other. That doesn't mean that they're getting back together. Why don't you ask him about the reason they're writing instead of guessing what they're talking to each other about?"

Benny sat there for a few minutes, absorbing what I'd said and sipping coffee. "I guess I never thought of it like that. I just always figured that once they were divorced they wouldn't be in contact with each other. But you're right, she's still our mother, whether we like it or not. And especially with Joseph, she should know what's going on with him."

"There now, was that so hard?"

He shook his head and grinned foolishly. "No, once I stopped trying to be so stubborn about it."

"Ah, my dear nephew, that's somethin' you're gonna have to deal with your whole life. Being a Maverick means being stubborn. Ask any of us, we'll tell you."

He set his cup down and stood to leave. "I think I better go talk to pa and see what he has to say."

"Good idea."

"Thanks, Uncle Bart."

I deserved that, and for once I felt like an uncle.

XXXXXXXX

Later that afternoon I was takin' inventory in the foaling barn when Beau stopped by. "I wanted to say 'Thank you.' Benny and me had a real nice conversation, and now he knows what I've been writing to his mother about."

"So are you gonna make me pry it out of you?" I asked.

"It wasn't anything that Benny thought. Dani's setting up an account to pay for Joseph's college and we can't agree on the details. That's what all the back and forth has been about."

"And he thought . . . '

"That we were gonna get back together."

"Any chance of that?"

"Not in this lifetime." Beau paused. "But we still have a problem."

"The foreclosure."

"Right. He still won't take my help. He wants to deal with this on his own, but at least he's talkin' to me now. He' gonna stay with Pa for a while and work for you."

"What are you gonna do about the ranch?"

"Nothing, as long as nobody bids on it. If somebody else shows interest, I'll buy it back."

"So the smart thing for Benny to do would be let you pay off the mortgage and work the ranch himself."

"That's the conclusion I've come to."

I shook my head. "I thought he was smarter than that."

"He's still got a case of the Maverick s-t-u-b-b-o-r-n-s."

"Well, I guess I'm not such a wise uncle after all."

"Why's that?" Beau asked me, grinning.

"I sat right here and explained all that stubborn nonsense to him, and I thought he understood."

"Just because he graduated college doesn't make him smart."

"I wonder if Belle is gonna come back like that?"

"Pray that she doesn't."

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	18. World in Changes

Chapter 18 – World in Changes

Benny came back to work at the B Bar M and moved into the bunkhouse. The bank put a 'For Sale' sign on the ranch, and a month or two passed. Belle finished her first year of college and came home for the summer. Maudie was ecstatic and finally dealt with the loss she'd suffered when Spreckels died.

There hadn't been any interest in Benny's ranch for most of the summer, then around August the bank notified Beau they had a potential buyer. He went into Little Bend to find out if the buyer was serious and stopped at my house on the way home. Me and Lucien were working out a new system for tracking the foals, as Doralice was gettin' more involved with work for Maude's that I didn't have time for anymore. Maude herself had literally retired from anything to do with the saloon; she said she had her hands full with the care and feeding of Pappy. Everything at the B Bar M was in a big flux at the moment, and it had become pretty apparent that I needed help with the paperwork.

Anyway, Beau stopped and we went to sit on the porch and smoke for a while. I'd been working all morning, and could use a rest. I swear, we hadn't been sittin' there five minutes when Lily Mae appeared with some sweet tea. That woman must be a mind reader.

Once Lily had gone back to the kitchen, Beau began. "The buyer that the bank had was serious about the ranch. They offered ten percent more than the bank was asking for it and I have three days to counter-offer."

"What about Benny?"

"They notified him, but there was no response. What can he do, Bart? He doesn't have enough money to even make one of the mortgage payments, much less buy it back. No, if we're gonna hold on to it, it's up to me."

"Are you gonna talk to him?"

"Why? He can't do anything. Although I suppose I should. Where is he right now, do you know?"

"He's out in the north pasture, mendin' fence. Give him a chance to at least express his opinion."

"Alright, soon as we're done here I'll ride out there."

We sat and talked about a lot of things, including how fast Joseph was growing. When Beau finished his tea, he got up and left for the north pasture, and I went back to Lucien to finish up our work. While I was gone he'd gotten Maudie involved, and she had a couple good ideas.

"What do you think about this, sweetheart?"

"I think you'll have a pretty good system once you implement those changes I suggested."

"How would you like to be in charge of it?"

She blinked once or twice, then asked, "How much does it pay?"

"How much do you want?" She had me, and she knew it.

"Half again what you're paying me now."

"Your services have gotten expensive."

"Oh, Daddy, you know I'll do it for nothing." There was a smile on her face when she told me that.

"Then I'll pay you what I think the job's worth." I returned the smile.

She giggled and kissed me on the cheek. "Whatever makes you happy."

Maudie gathered all the paperwork from Lucien and headed for the house. About half the way there she turned and called out, "Can I use your office when I work on it?"

"Of course. I'll clear a drawer for you."

"That's a real bright young lady, boss," Lucien commented when she was out of earshot.

"I know. She should have gone to college with Belle."

Lucien chuckled. "She loves this place too much to ever leave it."

"Don't I know it."

XXXXXXXX

Two days later Benny gave me his notice, again, and moved out of the bunkhouse. It was several days after that before I found out what happened. Beau offered to buy the ranch back, but with a caveat. Benny would work the ranch for wages which would be credited towards what Beau had paid for the place. That way Benny would eventually own it, and in the meantime he could build the place into what he wanted. Beau agreed to pay him an extra ten percent each month so he'd have some spendin' money.

Maudie went down to visit one afternoon when Abby was there. The cabin was almost bare bones compared to what it had been before. Abby brought a few things to brighten it up, and Ginny sold him some chickens at a reduced price. Honestly, she gave him a deal because there were chickens runnin' all over the place, and Bret was tired of them comin' in the house. Now that Pauly was done workin' on Sawyer's expanded café, he'd started on a larger chicken coop. Ginny decided to sell fresh eggs to the neighbors, and she began making a tidy profit.

This was going to be an interesting arrangement.

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	19. Epilogue

Epilogue

Needless to say, life went on. Benny kept workin' for his father on the ranch until he eventually owned it again. It took him quite a few years, but I think he learned an important lesson. Belle got more and more interested in journalism and after she graduated college took a full-time job at The Gazette. That wasn't all she got interested in, but I'll tell you that in another story.

Maudie, well Maudie took a different direction when she met someone new. Ginny made a whole business out of chickens and eggs, and Bret had to listen to all the clucking, whether he liked it or not. Beau got closer and closer to Casandra and began courting her mother. Doralice and me? We're still here watching our own little chickens grow up. And we're still as close as we ever were.

Thank God.

The End


End file.
